Field Hockey Bounces Back with Two Shutout Victories

By Isabelle Beckwith

Darting around her Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) defender, Meghan Ward ’19 sent a smooth cross to Jacqueline Diffley ’16 at the left post. Diffley received the pass and tipped the ball into the net to score the third and final goal of Andover Field Hockey’s 3-0 win against NMH on Saturday.

Andover started the game strong, as Charlotte Welch ’18 and Emily Batchelor ’19 each scored a goal within the first 11 minutes.

“The team came out hard and scored two goals in the opening minutes, which was precisely what we needed,” wrote Head Coach Kate Dolan in an email to The Phillipian.

Andover’s intense energy was demonstrated by the team’s ability to score two goals in quick succession.

Captain Kelly McCarthy ’16 said, “We played with a sense of purpose and urgency that we have not had in awhile.”

Batchelor added, “Our strengths were playing our hardest and toughest from the moment the game began, and we carried our intensity throughout the whole game.

Andover’s dribbling maneuvers and steady defensive line allowed the team to dominate the game.

Diffley said, “Our strengths included moving the ball quickly and efficiently. Our defense also played very well in not allowing NMH to get many quality scoring chances.

After beating NMH, Andover went on to secure a 2-0 victory over BB&N on Wednesday, which bolstered the team’s record to 9-2-1. Midfielder Ashley Tucker ’18 scored both goals.

Andover played well both offensively and defensively on Wednesday. In particular, the team’s focus on passing maneuvers allowed it to excel on both sides of the field.

“I think our strength in this game was just how dynamic we were moving up the field,” McCarthy said.

Lauren Overly ’17 added, “There were really good passing sequences [on Wednesday] that definitely attributed to our win. We worked hard to get the ball around the defense, rather than trying to plow through them.”

Looking ahead, Andover hopes to replicate and extend the energy and aggression it demonstrated against NMH and BB&N this Saturday when it competes against Deerfield.

Coach Dolan said, “We are looking to compete for 60 minutes, to compete with a sense of urgency and to run and pass, pass and run. Effort will be the determining factor in our games [and] in our season.”

Diffley said, “Going into the rest of the season, our team wants to continue to play strong for the full 60 minutes.”

McCarthy said, “Deerfield is always a really good game, they are a really good opponent, and the game is always really fast paced, so I am looking forward to playing that caliber against them.”